Fuse



T. S. PERKINS.

FUSE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 14, I9I8- I 1 AS81509. Patented Dec. 12, 1922.

fiy/

WITNESSES: INVENTOR ffiamasJPer/rms AfTORNEY Patented Dec. 12; 1922.

UNITED STATES; PATIENT 1,438,609 FlcE.

7,1HOMAS s. rnnxms, or mwm, PE NsYLvAnIa, ASSIGNOR 'ro wns'rmenocsn ELECTRIC a mmracrunmc company, A CORPORATION or PENNSYLVANIA.

FUSE.

mam... filed March 14,- 1918. Serial No. 222,440..

To all whomit may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS S. PERKrNs, a citizen of the United States,and a resident ,of Irwin, in the county of Westmoreland and State of Pennsylvania, have in vented a new and 'useful Improvement in Fuses, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to fusesfor electric circuits and particularly to enclosed fuses embodying a readily renewable fusible element.

One object of y invention is to provide a device of the above-indicated character that shall be simple in'construction, eflicient 1 in operation, and economical to tions of the same may be forced apart in predetermined directions.

In practicing my invention, I provide a fusible element, su ported only at its ends, that is of such configuration as to utilize the explosive forces generated by the rupture thereof to force the separated portions-of the'same rapidly apart.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a ongitudinal sectional view of a fuse embodying m invention; Fig. 2 is a view taken along the longitudinal sectional view of a modified form of fuse embodying my invention; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view ofa further modification of my and 6 are views, partially in elevation and partially in section, of still further modifications of the same. 7 In Figs. 1 and 2, a tubular. insulating receptacle 1, offiber or other suitable material,

is exteriorly screw-threaded, at its ends, to I receive co-operating cap members 2, of copr or other conducting'material. Conduct-' mg disks 3, disposed at the ends'of thereceptacle 1 and within the cap members 2, are

provided with apertures 4 through which the ends 5 of a fusible element6 project. The ends 5 of the element 6 are bent to lie between the. solid portions 7 of the disks 3 and the cap members 2 in which position bear upon'the' sections 9 and 10.

f the springs 1 y:

ine II -II of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is ainvention, and Figs. 5.

they maybe compressed to insure good electhen the body of the element, fuses with violence at a predetermined "current value and forces the half-sections 9 and. 10 laterally and oppositely apart to positions indicated by the broken lines. 7

To assist the above-described action, the

sections 9 and 10 may be oppositely ten-- sioned, or, as shown in Fig. 3,:springs 11 may be suitably attached to the disks 3, as

' properly by rivets 12, and so extended as to The separation of the sections 9 and 1 0 may be eff ected, as shown in Fig. 4:, by the force of fusible element will not necessarily be bent, as in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

In the modification shown in Fig. 5, the fusible element is of Z-shape, and, consequently, where the constricted portion 8 is. ruptured, the explosive force is exerted in which instance, the I laterally against the relatively wide portions 9 and 10 to force them apart. In F ig."

6,. the element 6 is so bent as to constitute portions 13 and 14having relatively large surfaces at right angles to the' portion 8. In this modification, the portions 13 and 14 occupying a relatively large portion of the transverse area of the receptacle 1 are acted uponby the explosion forces to cause the unruptured portions to be forced longitudinall'y. apart.

The sudden separation of the sections 9 I and 10, upon ruptureof the portion 8, prevents diminishes the amount of flame and gases formed thereby. Thus, the life and efficiency of the device are increased and the danger from fire considerably reduced.

While I have shown and described particular forms of my device, many changes may be effected therein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, asset forth in the appended claims.

'I claim as my invention:

1-. Fuse mechanism comprising a tubular receptacle, terminals disposed at opposite. ends of and closing the receptacle, and a fusible element for connecting the terminals prolongation of a destructive .arcand and for interrupting the connection under predetermined current conditions comprising a strip of flexible fusible material having 1 predetermined current conditions compris-.

ing a pair of flexible conductive elements separate terminals and their adjacent ends connected by a transversely disposed fusible element having a portion of reduced currentcarrying capacity intermediate the-points of connection to the conductive elements adapted to rupture and to cause lateral separation of the conductive elements by reason of the reactive force of volatilization of the dis-.

: rupted portions of the fusible elements.

3'. Fuse mechanismcomprising a tubular receptacle, terminals disposed at opposite ends of and closing the receptacle, and a fusible element for connecting the terminals and for interrupting the connection under predetermined current conditions comprising' a strip of flexible'fusible material having a poriion of reduced curre'nt-carrymg' capacityv extending transversely of the readapted to rupture at a ceptac'le and longitudinally extending portions connected to the terminals and adapted to be moved laterally in opposite directions into engagement with the walls of the rea pair of conductive elements normally hel in spaced relation to the walls-of the recep- ,tacle and movable laterally into engagement with the wall of the receptacle when the fusible element is ruptured. having the r nQnad acent ends connected to 5. Fuse mechanism comprising a tubular receptacle, terminals disposed at opposite ends of and closing the receptacle, and a gifu sible element for connecting the terminals current conditions .comprisin and for interrupting the connection under 1 predetermined current conditions comprising a pair of conductive laterally movable elements having their nonadjacent ends connected to the terminals and their adjacent ment connecting the point between the overlapped ends whereby they will be displaced laterallyby the gases of combustion ofthe fusible element.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 7th day of March,

I THOMAS s. PERKINS:

ends in overlapped relation and a fusible eleoverlapped ends and 

